review

Tags:

37Signals is well known in the internets for a few reasons- mostly as the home of David Heinemeier Hansson creator of Ruby on Rails, and also for their range web-based services for managing projects, people and things (Basecamp, Highrise, etc).

With a reputation for being opinionated innovators (and, some would say, arrogance), the blog is a great mashup of discussions about many things business and web, but the comments can occasionally suffer from a bit of Tall Poppy Syndrome. All of which gives a great insight into how a “big” software development company works, innovates and is perceived.

The most prolific contributors are Jason Fried, Matt Linderman and Ryan Singer. While each of the 37Signals products has its own blog, you’ll occasionally hear about new features- but always in the context of a broader discussion, perhaps about usability, business strategy or design/implementation process.

And I think that’s what sums up what I love about this blog so much- it’s the thinking entrepreneur’s blog about real practice. Discussions in the comments are also often thoughtful and thought-provoking, and with a large readership you’re bound to get a healthy range of views.

Tags:

In our opinion, Ryan Bates is something of a Rails stevedore: since March of 2007 he’s been packaging and delivering Railscasts to the interwebs on a weekly basis.

Available through iTunes or via download on the Railscast website, each episode lasts between five and twenty minutes, with shownotes and additional resources also available on the website.

We reckon Ryan’s Railscasts are one of those “must read” resources- whether you’re a novice, a dabbler, a developer in Rails or a hardcore Railshead. The episodes are a mix of tips, tricks, instructional tutorials and demonstrations of the latest features of Rails.

What really makes Railscasts great though, is Ryan Bates’ teaching style. There’s no ego, no agenda, just infinite patience and a natural teaching mind that is able to explain ideas and construct examples that are truly helpful.

April 05
Icons, icons and icons!

Building any kind of web interface, particularly one that requires any kind of human interactivity, will at some time utilise icons. Whether they be on buttons, used in headings, or tabs or panels, icons are like little visual pieces of informative haiku: small, succint and should make you smile.